A Day in Your Shoes
by Lilly Winters
Summary: Gaz gets sick of Zim and Dib's constant bickering and decides to offer them a challenge: be each other for a day. They have to dress like each other, live in the other's house, and resume the other's daily life.They accept, but soon find that everything is not all that it seemed. Zadf!


**A/N**

**Zadf! I hope you guys like it! No Zadr. I thought it turned out pretty good. And please excuse any stupid mistakes, but I am exhausted right now XD. Anyways, Enjoy and Review!**

**I do not own Invader Zim or the characters. This is a purely fan-made story for my incredibly awesome fans ^-^**

Gaz growled.

All day, they had been at it. Nonstop, bickering followed her wherever she went. Her brother and the alien did not seem to know when to stop. Skool was out and every student was fleeing from the building in glee. Only Gaz, Zim and Dib remained on the front steps. Gaz sat on the top step, clearly annoyed as she angrily stabbed the buttons on her Game Slave. Dib and Zim stood on each side as they continued to holler at each other over the girl's head. For once, she began to listen to their argument.

"I do not want to hear it, Dib-stink. Your pathetic Earth life, no matter how unworthy it is, is a breeze. You would not last a day in the life of Zim!" Gaz shuddered at the Irken's increasingly high volume. Dib simply folded his arms across his chest and shook his head.

"Yeah right! Your little alien race has lived off of others for so long, you probably don't even have to lift a finger."

Zim raised his fist angrily before Gaz rose and interjected. She put a hand to Zim's chest and shoved him back while she slapped Dib harshly on the side of his head.

"If you two don't stop talking right this second and listen to me, you will regret it," she hissed.

Zim crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out, pouting like a child, but listened. Dib rubbed his sore head and whimpered.

"You guys are saying that the other's life is so much easier—"

"Because his life is easier!" Dib interrupted. He immediately shrank back as Gaz towered over him, hatred and annoyance filling her eyes.

"If you ever interrupt me again Dib, I swear I will doom you to another dimension were suffering is definite and escape is nonexistent."

Dib nodded fearfully and stepped back slightly.

"Now, if you think the other's life is so much easier, why don't we put it to the test?"

"Test? Why would we take a skool-based paper exam for this?" Zim questioned curiously.

"Can you be any more of a moron?" Gaz asked before continuing. "If you think it is so easy, why don't you two switch lives for a day?"

What do you mean 'switch lives'?" Dib raised an eyebrow.

"I mean that starting tonight, you guys will live out the lives of one another for one day and see how easy it really is."

"Why would we start tonight?"

"Because, Dib," she spat his name as if he were a sick disease, "you are going to sleep at Zim's base and Zim is going to sleep at your house."

"We're going to do what?" They both shouted in unison.

"I told you, you are going to be living exactly as Zim would," she pointed to Dib, "and you are going to live exactly like Dib normally does." She faced Zim. "Not that anything is normal for Dib, though," she smirked.

"Do you expect me to dress like the filthy monkey, too?" Zim sarcastically remarked, but Gaz shrugged.

"Sure. That will make it even better."

"Fools! Zim will not proceed with your smelly plans!"

He began walking away, but Gaz quickly gripped the front of his shirt and dragged him back. She pulled his face close to hers and snarled, "If you don't do this, you will pay." Zim thought of each possible way she could harm him and after ten seconds, his eyes were stuck in a state of horror. Gaz released him, seeing that she had got her threat across.

"Wait," Dib said, "why are you even doing this? You've never cared about us fighting before?"

"I don't care if you guys kill each other. But today, you are getting on my nerves. So Zim, be at our house at six o'clock sharp. Dib, you be downstairs in the kitchen waiting at the same time." With that, she began her walk home. Dib sighed in frustration.

"Great. Now look what you did!"

"Me? It is not I that has the annoying, pig-filled voice and big head!"

Even down the street, Gaz could clearly hear Dib yelling, "My head is not big!"

Dib sulked all the way down the steps as he made his way to the kitchen. Right as he took his seat, he heard the doorbell ring and saw Gaz get up to answer it. Just as planned, Zim stepped inside and was directed to a chair opposite of Dib. When they were both seated at the table, Gaz pulled two bags out from behind her back and threw one at each boy. Zim quirked an eyebrow, peering curiously inside.

"The Dib-worm's clothes?" he asked, retrieving a handful of the clothing. Dib repeated the action and faced his sister. "And a wig?"

She nodded.

"I told you that it is going to be a day in your shoes exactly."

"I will not dress like a pathetic Earthling! The might Zim refuses!"

All Gaz had to do was glare at him which immediately silenced him. Without warning, she snatched the glasses off of Dib's face and threw them at Zim. Dib did not even notice as a question rose in his mind.

"Hold on. Why do you have a wig that resembles mine and Zim's hair? And where did you even get it?"

"I have my ways," she replied, relishing the frightened look that crossed her brother's face. "Dib, you go to Zim's base. Zim, you go to Dib's room upstairs. And you are not allowed to plant spy bugs or cameras or sabotage anything. Understood?"

They both nodded, clearly not wanting to agree, but complying none the less. Dib rose, carrying the bag awkwardly and stepped out the front door, slamming it extra hard. Gaz ignored him and watched Zim make his way up to the human's bedroom. She opened the fridge and began making her dinner.

"This is going to be a long day," she huffed.

After ten minutes and food all gone, she trudged up the stairs and arrived in front of Dib's door just in time to see Zim step out. She raised an eyebrow in amusement as she took in his new appearance. Instead of the usual magenta Irken uniform, he wore a black trench coat and plain blue t-shirt with a smiley face. She could not get over the wig, though. In place of the usual black wig, the wig resting on his head was shaped like a lightening bolt. He even had Dib's glasses on.

"You look nice," she attempted, but nearly gave way with hysterical laughter.

"I do not understand," he began, looking horrified, "how the worm baby can wear this constantly…"

She waved it off.

"I just wish I could see how Dib looks."

Across town, Gir waved his arms frantically in excitement.

"You look like master!" he squealed.

Dib stared in the mirror, shocked. "A little too much," he commented, poking at the black leather gloves that covered his hands. He still could not get used to the uncomfortable fake hair or the uniform. Gir giggled madly and latched onto his head.

"Why is the big head here?" he asked innocently.

Dib ignored the comment and explained. "Gaz thinks that if Zim and I switch places for a day, we will understand each other more. She thinks it will end my hatred for him, but she just doesn't seem to understand that that will never stop."

Gir squinted down at Dib, saddened. "You hate my master?"

Dib could see the hurt expression crossing the small robot's face and immediately regretted the statement. It was not that he hated Zim, he just wanted to protect his planet from the foreign race. "No, I don't really hate him, Gir. I just don't understand him, I guess."

Gir was about to say something when an alarm sounded throughout the base. Dib watched the robot hop off of his head and run towards the elevator.

"They calling!" he hollered.

"Incoming transmission!"

Dib glanced at the ceiling as the computer spoke.

"Who?"

"The Tallest!"

"The Tallest? Wait! Zim's leaders…" He grinned evilly and followed the hyper metallic child into the elevator. The doors sliding open, he rushed out and faced the large monitor. The image of two tall aliens flashed across the screen and they raised an eyebrow. The one with the purple eyes spoke first.

"Zim? You look different?" he questioned.

"Oh yes, um…" Dib cleared his throat and stood tall, saluting in fake respect. "I apologize, my Tallest…I have caught a um…Earth sickness?" He hoped they would buy the lie and luckily, they did.

"Oh, okay. Anyways, have you had any progress with your plans?"

"Plans?"

Tallest Red sighed in frustration.

"Yes, Zim. You know, your plans to take over Earth? Have you made any progress?"

"Well, I um…"

They both shook their heads. "Okay this has gone on long enough. We need to end this now."

Dib could hear the sudden serious tone their voices had taken and was a bit taken aback. He had a feeling this was going to end badly. Even Dib found himself hating the news that was to come.

"What do you mean?"

"Zim, we sent you to Earth to die. It is as plain as that. You were a failure and you destroyed everything. We tried countless times to get rid of you, but you just wouldn't take the hint! So we hoped that you would die on that planet, but like everything else, you screwed that up and somehow managed to survive."

Dib's eyes widened at the cruelty he was hearing. How could they do this? Hadn't Zim been loyal to them his entire time? No matter how much he loathed the alien's presence, he could always admit that he was one of the most loyal beings he had ever come in contact with.

"You should have been deactivated the day you were born. Then we wouldn't have had so many problems."

"Deactivated?" he managed to ask in disbelief.

"You are a defect, Zim. Nothing more," The red one sneered.

Dib's mouth hung open slightly and they smirked wickedly at his pain.

"Do not contact us any further. It would seem we have finally gotten rid of you once and for all."

"But I…"

"Goodbye Zim."

With that, the screen went blank. Dib could not react, speak, or move. It had all happened too suddenly. His leaders had just betrayed the young Irken; left him to die on the unknown planet. Now that he thought of it, Earth was a nightmare for the alien. To him, it was just a planet that rained acid, contained food poisonous to his kind, and housed beings that wished to strap him to an examination table and cut him open to view his insides. Dib stared down at his odd apparel, thinking of how Zim would react.

"Should I even tell him?" he asked the silence filling the room.

He peered across the room and saw that Gir had left long ago. He sighed as he could nearly feel the pain the robot was feeling at the disturbing news. He was unsure of what to do; whether or not he should tell him or let him find out. Little did he know, the extraterrestrial across town would soon be wondering the same thing.

Only twenty minutes after Dib received the transmission from the Tallest, Zim was busy being bored inside the human's room when the Swollen Eyeball Network contacted him. Zim jumped and sat up in the computer chair, straightening the wig.

"Who are you?" he asked smugly.

Agent Darkbootie glared at the alien whom he thought was Dib.

"Agent Mothman, are you feeling all right?"

Zim tried to think of who he was talking to and remembered. _That's right_, he thought, _Dib belongs to that nerdy group of swollen people-ness…_

"Yes. I am fine. I am Dib!" he screamed.

The floating device sputtered and sparked at the high-pitched alien, unable to handle the loud volume, but quickly returned to normal.

"That is good. Now, have you completed your presentation on Big Foot?"

"Presentation? What is this presentation in which you speak of?"

"Dib. The one we assigned you over a week ago. And you still did not complete it?"

"I—"

"That's it. I've had enough. You're finished, Dib."

All at once, Zim recognized the tone the man on the monitor had acquired. He had heard it way too often to not. He realized that his past was filled with much failure and punishment for that failure. The Tallest had often scolded him with that tone right before sentencing him to an additional 'disciplinary lesson'. He could tell that this meant something bad was about to happen.

"Eyeball man, I assure you—"

"No. I have had enough! You are kicked out of the Swollen Eyeball Network!"

"Kicked out?" he muttered, shocked.

"Yes. Ever since we let you join, you have done nothing but mock our name. You always rant about an alien that apparently goes to your skool, but fail each time to give us evidence of his presence!"

Zim cringed at the word. _Failure_. He had heard that from his leaders often, too.

"This is the last time you will contact us. Farewell, Dib," he seemed to hiss the name as he cut the transmission. Darkness filled the room and Zim continued to stare at the monitor that had fallen to the floor, completely lifeless.

"The Dib-worm has been kicked out of his network? Should I tell him?" He glanced down at the trench coat he was wearing and shook his head. "No. I shall let the pathetic human find out himself!" he smirked. But he found it slipping away quickly. No. He knew he would tell him. He was not sure why he felt the need too, but it was certainly there. He slowly crawled out of the chair and made his way down the stairs. As soon as he walked down the last step, the front door opened and Dib stood in the doorway. They stared at each other for a moment before crossing the room quickly.

"There is something I need to tell you." They both said at once. They stopped, but Zim gestured to Dib.

"You may proceed, Dib-beast."

"Zim, your leaders contacted me tonight and they told me about why you were really sent to Earth."

Zim's eye shot wide open at that.

"Why I was really sent here? What do you mean?" he hesitated.

Dib sighed. "They sent you here to die," he mumbled. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the alien falter. Not wanting to, he continued slowly. "They said that you had failed too much and that they wanted to get rid of you so they sent you here in hopes that you would die."

Zim glared down at the floor, taking in the unbelievable truth. But sadly, a part of him knew it was true. No matter how much he wished to deny it, to yell at the human and accuse him of lying, he knew that he was telling the truth. He shook his head and readjusted the trench coat.

"I too have news to inform you of."

"What?"

He looked up sorrowfully at the boy.

"Your Swollen Network contacted you tonight about a presentation, but…"

"…But….?" Dib ignored the incorrect name Zim had labeled his group with and focused on his words.

"They became upset and kicked you out. They said that you only mocked their name because you failed to provide evidence with your claims," he explained. "Claims like the ones about me…" he added.

Dib blinked back his feelings and joined the alien as they glared angrily and sadly down at the ground. At that time, Gaz happened to come down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" she asked, seeing the pair standing in silence.

They both shook their heads.

"You know what?" Dib began.

Zim looked up at him.

"This really did show us what our lives are really like. I thought you had an easy life, Zim, but after that transmission…" Though, he could not finish. Zim picked up for him. "I now see that you do not have an easy human life either, Dib."

Gaz raised an eyebrow, impressed that he had managed to call her brother by his name without the addition of insults or mockery. She turned to leave, but they stopped her.

"Gaz, wait."

"What?"

They both smiled.

"Thanks."

**A/N**

**And there you go! I hope you liked it!**

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